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Shadow of Hope
Shadow Of Hope is a horror/suspense/action series written by LewaNui58 and ToaTakaro. It will focus on multiple characters, each changing during the series due to certain events. All will take place in The Cell, a futuristic prison, built to imprison all who defy the laws of the Dark Hunter based organization, The Order. Part 1: Solitude The first Chapter of Shadow Of Hope. Chapter 1: Melios Cries. Screams. That's all I hear. Those are the only sounds I even recognize anymore. Here in this hell, no one knows anything other than pain and suffering. Most of us don't really belong here. The wealthy sent us here; those snobbish aristocrats who were so priceless by the world's standards and yet possessed worthless souls. I had been confined in the most horrendous prison in history, known as The Cell, for the mere crime of stealing food. Perhaps it would've been better to have died of starvation. To those Order members, the rest of the world is nothing but scum. While the Dark Hunters indulge in the finest of luxuries, here we are, beneath their arrogant notice -- beaten and broken. There I sat in my cell, so consumed within my own thoughts that one might have even thought that I was alone. But I was, in fact, not alone. Enter Keros, my assigned cellmate. Before this nightmare had begun, I had known him as the owner of the black market in my home village. He was definitely the silent type, a trait complimented by his white kanohi mask. We had never become "close," so to speak, but I think we had developed an unspoken yet mutual trust for one another. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard a peculiar banging noise. Curious, I stuck my head out of my cell to investigate. Instantly, a blinding shock of pain reverberated through my head. "Cellmate 415693, keep your entire body inside your cell at all times," commanded a Vahki's emotionless voice. I obediently obliged, and as soon as the mechanical sentry passed, stuck my head right back out again. "I wouldn't make the same mistake twice if I were you," muttered Keros from behind me. "Well, you're not me," I quickly retorted, "and this isn't a mistake." As I squinted into the darkness, I watched two Vahki drag a Matoran's limp form out of a cell. It didn't take long for me to recognize him as Melios, an inmate that had arrived here at about the same time I had. He had always seemed different; unlike any of the others that I had seen thus far, he had had a fire in his eyes, a spark of determination. It was a shock to see that he was already dead. He was dead... wasn't he? As the Vahki briefly left him unguarded in order to go unlock the main security doors on our row, Melios rose and began to run down the hall, unlocking cell doors left and right. One Vahki, noticing the crisis at hand, called out, "Vahki 76009, security protocol 665," to which the other guard replied, "Affirmative." The two of them proceeded to attempt to herd the inmates back into their cells. But these weren't inmates at all. At least, they weren't the inmates I had once known. They walked sluggishly, and had a pale complexion. I realized that Melios had made a huge mistake. Keros' voice rang out behind me. "Get back. Now." Although I wasn't really in the mood to listen to anybody right now, I reluctantly complied. I was very thankful that I had, though, as I witnessed one of the most horrifying sights I had ever seen. I watched as the pale "inmates" piled on top of the Vahki, overwhelming them and brutally ripping them apart, piece by piece. I watched in silence for a few moments, utterly mortified, and then regained my senses. "By Mata Nui," I exclaimed, "We need to help them!" "Perhaps you feel the need to help them," replied Keros. "I, on the other hand, value my life." At that moment, all of the conflicting emotions that had built up inside me boiled over and became a turbulent rage. "All this time I thought you were my friend, someone who would have my back in a time of trouble, but it turns out you're just a spineless coward," I screamed. In one swift motion, Keros picked up a loose brick off the floor and hurled it straight at me. It took me a moment to realize that the brick was not aimed at me, and I watched as it hit the lock on the security doors, shattering it. "Are you a fool?" Keros demanded in a calm, collected voice. "The Vahki are merely machines, and yet you believe that our lives are worth risking in order to to save them?" In retrospect, it struck me how stupid of a notion that had been. Keros continued. "In the course of trying to escape this prison, you will undoubtedly be faced with even harder decisions. This is not a world of friendship and self-sacrifice. There is only one thing that truly matters in the life of an inmate of The Cell: survival. The sooner you realize that, the better. I for one am set on making it out of here no matter what, but you must choose for yourself. Will you stay here and die a slow death, either by being ripped apart by those... things... or by slowly losing your sanity inside that tiny cell? Or will you take this opportunity of desperation along with me and strive for survival?" I stood in complete silence for several seconds. In a minute or so, the pale monsters would be finished with the Vahki and would come straight for the only other beings in sight-- us. Keros was becoming impatient. "There's no time left. Which will it be?" In that moment, everything slowed down around me. I felt something that I had never felt before in my life. All the compassionate tendencies of mere minutes ago had completely left my mind, and they had been replaced by one simple desire. "I..." I looked Keros in the eyes, and then, in a voice of such boldness that I surprised even myself, I stated, "I want to live." Keros smirked. "That's the spirit. Now let's get out of here." We both whirled around and saw multiple pale assailants closing in on us. Keros took the lead, dashing through the now unlocked security doors, and I followed right behind. Soon, we were faced with another set of locked doors. Panicking, I turned to Keros. "What do we do?" "Don't worry, I have a plan," said Keros coolly. He ran off down an adjacent hall, leading the pale monstrosities along behind him. "I'll be back soon!" he called out over his shoulder. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, wondering if he really would be back. And then the doors opened. Chapter 2: KerosCategory:Stories Huff, Huff. Keros passed all of the dozens of inmates. Some imprisoned, some not. Huff, Huff. Keros ran, and ran, and ran. Huff, Huff. Keros felt bad for many of those unlucky prisoners. Huff, Huff. Keros knew he had to focus. Concentrate on the steps. Huff, Huff. He continued watching and dodging all of the newly resurrected. Huff, Huff. He ran, and ran, and ran… A few months earlier… Keros sat in his cell, alone. Keros had recently moved into his cell, now residing in the Cell Block 079. Keros remembered his old home in Nori Nui as a merchant and owner of the black market. Although The Cell is directly under Nori Nui, it seems much different from his normal surroundings. Yes, they had much in common, such as the feeling of desperation and depression, but Nori Nui had something different. Hope. Hope is what kept us going. It kept us alive, but now, Hope is slowly dying. Keros noticed something different. Apart from the usual screams and moans, there was a slight buzzing sound. Keros was curious. His mind told him not to bother, but he couldn’t help otherwise. Keros moved to the cell rows. He peeked out into the darkness. Nothing. The buzzing continued, but strangely the screams ended. This has never happened before. Silence. No buzz, screams, wails, or any hint to life. Nothing. Keros looked back and forth, “Hello?” Immediately, as if responding, a fellow matoran face met his. A screech worse than Death itself passed through Keros. Then the sirens blared. Out came guards. Keros watched the creatures, now no longer matoran, reach the innocent, and to Keros horror, ate them. The flesh and muscle of the beings ripped and crunched. Screams returned. Wails. Weeping. Keros sat through, and watched. All of it. And remembered it... Months later… Keros continued running. He knew what he did this for. To save Melios. More than anything though, he wanted to end these creatures horrible miserable life’s. He hated them. Keros felt no sorrow for whatever creature did this to them. Keros so desperately wanted this. He ran. He reached the remains of the two vahki. The vahki contained barely any living tissue and were practically robots. Built to lock and watch all prisoners of the cell. Keros bent down to the creatures. He scavenged through the monstrosity. Bingo. A beeping light reached Keros eyes. The Vahki’s brain. He lifted it up. The key to the doors. The key to life. To death. To ending this. No one could stop him. None of the inmates, none of the creatures, and defiantly not these Vahki. He had done it. He turned to run back to Melios, then an old and weak voice called out to him, “I wouldn’t take that if I were you.”